View full sizeAP Photo / Paul ConnorsPhiladelphia quarterback Michael Vick was pressured all day by Arizona defenders such as linebacker Daryl Washington (58) during the Cardinals' 27-6 rout of the Eagles on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

During the season, The Fan Box
will periodically provide question-and-answer transcripts from various
Eagles players and coaches. Here is Wednesday's transcribed media
session with head coach Andy Reid and several players, courtesy of the Eagles football media services staff:

ANDY REID

Injury Report:"Alright, this is what we have injury-wise. [S] Colt Anderson, [he’s] got knee inflammation. [LS] Jon Dorenbos has a high-ankle sprain. He’s got a high-ankle sprain; making progress. He’s walking around, you’ve seen it today, walking around. He’s doing better. [T] King Dunlap, hamstring strain; will not practice. [LB] Akeem Jordan won’t practice. Those four will not be out there. [WR Jeremy] Maclin will practice today."

Opening Remarks:"Look forward to the challenge of playing the New York Giants. We know they are a good football team; obviously, World Champions. We’ve got to have a good week of practice and make sure we take care of our business, first, and get ourselves ready to play against a heck of a football team."

On the importance of the first game of divisional play:"Well, listen, every game is important and then you add the NFC East to it. I think the Giants are going to be saying the same thing; that you play in the NFC East, [and] every NFC East game is very important."

On whether he felt a need to talk to QB Michael Vick after comments made during his Monday press conference:"Well, it was the way that it was interpreted. That’s not what I had in mind. [Eagles director of football media services] Derek [Boyko] explained to me how it was interpreted and so, I’ve talked to Mike, made sure I mentioned it on my radio show. You guys are very good at what you do, so I [want to] make sure we clarify it. Bad semantics there."

On how far away WR Riley Cooper is from returning to action:"He’s close. He’s going to practice today. He’s getting there. We’ll just see how he does. He hasn’t had much contact; as a matter of fact, very little contact. So we’ll see how he does today."

On clarifying where Vick stands in the offense:"Michael is our starting quarterback."

On whether C Dallas Reynolds and T Demetress Bell will receive all of the first-team reps during practice: "Yes, they will. Both those two. [T] Dennis Kelly, you’re going to see him rotate in. Well, you won’t see him rotate in, but he rotates in every day. We’re going to let all the guys, all those offensive linemen get in there and do their thing."

On what he has seen from Giants QB Eli Manning and the New York offense thus far:"Right now, Eli is playing as good as any quarterback in the National Football League. I mean, these last few games, he’s been on fire. We know he’s a great player anyway, but he’s playing very well; [at a] very high level right now."

On whether LB Brian Rolle and LB Jamar Chaney will compete for the Will linebacker spot should LB Akeem Jordan be unable to play Sunday:"Yeah, both of them will take reps in there. They’ll both take reps in there. We’ll just see how that goes."

On whether Vick can work on making pre-snap reads in practice and whether that is the main cause of the sacks on offense:"Well, there’s more to it than that. We’ve got to protect too. We’ve got to make sure we’re calling the right plays and putting him in a good position. I mean, there are a lot of things that go into that, so we’ve addressed that and we’ve all got to get better at our job and Michael, you asked about Michael, Michael included. He understands that. We all need to do better and that’s what we’re going to take care of this week."

On whether the running game becomes more of an emphasis when you are facing a hot quarterback like Manning:"Well, you’ve got to be able to run the football. It doesn’t matter whether the quarterback’s hot or not hot. We’ve got to be able to do that in this league."

On whether he still feels confident that he can run the offense the way he wants to run it after three games:"Yes."

On whether the struggles on the offensive line against Arizona were based on new personnel or more schematic:"Well, listen, everybody across there had a piece of that. They play as a unit. They all can get better. We all can get better, as coaches schematically and as players playing. So, we all understand that."

On what players mean when they say they are not on the same page and how you get them to be on the same page:"Well, we need to just keep practicing and make sure if that’s the case, that you take care of [it] in practice. Make sure that that gets taken care of."

On whether he has a good feeling that LS Jon Dorenbos will be able to go on Sunday:"I don’t know that. I can just tell you that yesterday he was limping, today he’s not. So, we’ll see how he does tomorrow."

On how healthy Dorenbos needs to be to be able to play Sunday:"He has to be functional. I mean, he has to be. To step onto the field, you have to be functional. I’d just tell you that. He’s got to be able to move."

On who would have the long snapper duties should Dorenbos be unable to play:"[LS] Kyle [Nelson], the kid we signed for the practice squad. We can use him and [TE Brent] Celek’s done it, so we’d be okay there."

On the reasoning behind the release of P Chas Henry:"Listen, he’s a young guy. I think he’s got a good future in this league. I’m just looking for consistency. That’s the primary thing."

On how they will address the issue of Vick struggling to read and react to blitzes from defensive backs:"I’m sure you’re talking about the one before half and that was a mishap. The rest of it, he actually had some nice checks in there and did a nice job with several of the plays."

On Vick’s reaction following his comments during his Monday press conference:"As far as the comments, he doesn’t even worry about it. He doesn’t worry about all that. The comments weren’t directed that way and he knows that."

On how important a running game is to slow down defensive linemen and linebackers from getting to the quarterback:"Listen, you’re seeing it with some of the good throwing teams in this league. Balance, you’ve got to have some sort of balance, whether that’s 60-40, 70-30. You’ve got to be able to, obviously, keep defenses off balance and, at the same time, get yourself in a rhythm as an offense."

On whether the NFL has touched base with the coaches regarding the replacement officials:"Listen, I can’t get into all that. I’m not going there. I’m going to just say, we’ve all got to do our jobs better. I’ll stick with that."

On getting the players to focus on the game rather than the officials:"Well, that’s what you have to do. You’ve got to do that. As coaches and players, you’ve got to take care of your business and make sure you’re doing the right things right and let that run its course there. These guys are trying as hard as they can possibly try."

On whether he has addressed his players specifically about maintaining focus:"I take care of that. Absolutely. We talk about that. I take care of that. I’ll take care of the officials, you take care of playing and coaching."

On whether the situation with the officials is escalating to the point of being out of control, with several confrontations having already taken place:"Well, listen, if I haven’t grabbed you yet, I’m not going to grab one of them. (Joking)"

On whether he has felt compelled to talk to offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg about balancing the offense more:"Listen, we communicate. We’ve got to do a better job of just getting them in rhythm. It doesn’t matter if you’re throwing the ball, running the ball, combination, you’ve got to get in rhythm and do what it takes to do that."

On whether it is possible to get into a rhythm throwing 25 times and running five times in the first half:"We need a little more balance."

QB MICHAEL VICK

On the importance of the first divisional matchup of the season:"This game is very important. It’s an NFC East rivalry game and there’s a lot at stake. It’s two good football teams that kind of know each other really well. I think it’s going to come down to execution but it’s going to be a great game."

On whether he looks at the 2011 Super Bowl Champion Giants and thinks the Eagles could have gone on the same run:"I try not to look at it that way but the New York Giants are a good football team. They have a great quarterback in Eli [Manning] and do a lot of good things on offense, exceptional things on defense, and that’s what makes a great football team. When you’re able to gel together and put it all together then you’re able to go on a run like that. We did pretty much the same thing but it was just too late."

On how concerned he is with the turnovers the team has surrendered in three games:"I’m very concerned about the turnovers. Being the competitor that I am, I understand that you have to protect the football. I cut back on the interceptions last week and had two fumbles but it’s something that I know I can get corrected."

On whether he has spoken with Coach Reid about the comments made on Monday that he was the starting quarterback for now:"We talked about it. We spoke about it but it wasn’t anything serious. We’re in a position where we have to look forward to this week. We have to get ready for this game [and] that’s what is most important. Any outside distractions can become a deterrent to this team so we’re just trying to move forward and get ready for the next game."

On whether he worries about his job security:"No, not at all, I know that it can be corrected. That’s the most important thing and I know I can get my job done week in and week out. As a whole you have to go out there and put it all together. That’s what I’m focused on and nothing in between."

On whether he feels he should have received a vote of confidence following his turnovers:"No. I heard it but I really don’t pay attention to what’s being said unless I hear it from Coach himself. Other than that, we’ve talked about it and it’s all about me going out and getting ready for this week against New York."

On what he remembers about playing against Brian Dawkins:"Brian Dawkins was a great player. I think the hardest hit I ever took was from Brian Dawkins. He was an outstanding leader, a competitor, and an ambassador for the NFL."

On the challenge that the offense will be faced with this Sunday:"They’re a good football team. They do some good things on the defensive front. They have some veteran guys who [have] been around the block. They have Super Bowl rings so they know what it’s like to play in the tough games. We just have to come out and play sound [and] play disciplined and try to put it all together."

On whether something has to change on offense to get into a rhythm to minimize turnovers:"I pretty much expect us to go out there and put it all together at some point."

On if the team can continue to do the same thing even though it hasn’t worked for three games:"It depends on what happens. I can’t sit here and give you the game plan. All I can say is that we have to just play better."

On whether he is having trouble with blitz recognition:"We had no trouble with blitz recognition. Everything is good with our offense. Everything is in sync. Everything is intact. We just have to get better. [If] we eliminate the turnovers and start fast [then] we give ourselves a chance to win games."

On how important offensive balance is to sustain success throughout the season:"Obviously it’s important to balance everything out. That’s something that we’re going to try to work on. It’s at the coaches’ discretion. We just have to continue to go out and do what we’re asked to do as a team and make the most out of our opportunities right now."

On how he plans to correct his mistakes that cause turnovers:"Just not doing it but it’s hard, this game is tough [and] it’s not as easy as it looks. You look around the league and there’s a lot of guys struggling right now. It’s tough. Defenses are getting better, they’re scheming. We just have to make sure we do what we have to do in the moment."

On how his body feels after taking a lot of hits the past three weeks:"Feels good. I’m still standing upright so I’m ready to get onto the next game."

TE BRENT CELEK

On whether he thinks that he will be blocking more this week with the Giants depth on the defensive line:"Not necessarily. It depends on what they’ll bring at us defensively. There might be times where I do stand and they’ll be times that I don’t. We really don’t know. We prepare for everything. Whatever they want to throw at us during the game, we’ll be ready for."

On whether the guys have rallied around QB Michael Vick after the last game:"I think we always do that. I think the big thing is we have to protect him. We have to do a better job protecting him and he has to protect himself. We’ve all got a hand in that. It’s not just Mike and it’s not just the o-line, it’s everybody involved in that. We just have to go out and execute better. Then, he won’t be on his back as much."

On whether there is concern about the turnovers the offense has had:"That’s just something that we as an offense have to fix. Not all of those are Mike’s fault. I take credit for one of those because it bounced off my hands. Those are things that we can all fix. If we just focus a little bit harder and pay attention to the small details, those are things that we can clean up."

On whether anyone is listening to the outside criticism of QB Michael Vick:"We’re always behind Mike 100 percent. It’s a team game. It’s not just one thing that he’s doing out there that is making us lose the game. It’s all of us. It’s obvious if you watch the film that it’s not just Mike."

On whether he feels any extra energy or motivation going into the Eagles first division game:"We know the Giants are a big rivalry. We are always ready to play when they come to town because they’re one of the best teams in the league. Obviously, they won the Super Bowl twice in the last five years. They’re a great team, and we’re going to have to be ready for them. It’s always a hard fought, physical game with them."

G EVAN MATHIS

On how the new offensive line is jelling now that they have had a full week of practice and game under their belt:"I think we’ve been focused on improving daily, and I think we’ve been doing that. We still have a ways to go to be as good as we can be. All five of us are working to do just that."

On whether the offensive line had trouble communicating with the crowd noise in Arizona:"I don’t think there were very many communication errors at all. We did the best we could to talk to each other. We could hear Michael just fine. [C] Dallas [Reynolds] made his calls just fine. There weren’t very many communication breakdowns."

On whether a better balance of running and passing plays helps the offensive line:"We’re not worried about it. Whatever is called, we’re ready to execute. I’m in no place to say if there was more balance, it would work better or not because sometimes you can throw the ball 60 times and run very few and still be dominant. It just depends on who you are playing and the way things unfold."

LB DeMECO RYANS

On his first Eagles-Giants game:"It’s a big game, a big week. With this being a divisional game, it’s huge for us. Our first divisional game is when we’re looking to start out really good in our division."

On how the rest of the locker room reacts to the criticism of Michael Vick:"Everybody has to continue to get better. It doesn’t just fall on one person. We all have to continue to do our job and get better."

On whether it is important to make plays early against the Giants offense:"It is, and you have to start very fast against these guys. You can’t get behind. They do a good job. They are a very balanced offense. It’s something you don’t see very often in this league. They’re very balanced – they can run and they can pass the ball. You have to start out early and get stops on third-down and get off the field."

On the different challenges they bring with their personnel:"Like I said, they can do both. Most teams are strong in one area or another, but they are a balanced team. With that, you just have to be ready to stop the run first and foremost, and then see if we can get after the quarterback."

K ALEX HENERY

On how much it helps that he has a head start with newly acquired punter and holder Mat McBriar because he was with the team in training camp:"It’s nice because I’ve worked with him before. I know how he handles the ball and everything. I can just go with that and get ready for this week."

On whether it is an adjustment to work with someone different:"Yes. When you change, anyone can be an adjustment."

On whether it will be an adjustment if he has to use a new long snapper due to the injury of Jon Dorenbos:"I watch the snapper snap the ball, which is different than a lot of guys. I am able to see the trajectory of it and the speed. I base [how I kick the ball] off of when I first take my steps. We’ll time it and see if I have to wait after he snaps the ball."

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